The Big 12 may not be done expanding

The wheel of conference realignment never stops spinning, it only hits bumps in the road and crushes conferences beneath it occasionally.

When the Big 12 announed last week that West Virginia would be joining the conference as Missouri's replacement -- should Missouri leave, which is expected but just hasn't happened yet -- interim commissioner Chuck Neinas said that the conference was done expanding for now. He also said that the Big 12 was fine with 10 schools.

Well for now may not have lasted very long. According to Berry Tramel in The Oklahoman, the team that lost out to West Virginia to become the newest member of the Big 12 may still be in the running. Tramel says that the Big 12 may invite Louisville to join the conference soon and expand the league to 11 teams, much like the Big 10 did for years before adding Nebraska this season.

Tramel also says that the Big 12 might consider playing a 10-game round robin conference schedule if it expands to 11 schools in hopes of increasing television money by having more premiere games.

Of course, I'm of the opinion that if Louisville did eventually work its way to the Big 12, the conference wouldn't stop at 11, and would look to add another school. Much like the Big 12 would consider a 10-game conference schedule to increase revenue, it'd probably start thinking about the revenue it could get by rekindling the Big 12 title game as well.

Who that next team would be, I'm not sure. BYU could still come into play, even though the Big 12 seemed to pass on the Cougars already. In his report Tramel mentioned both Notre Dame and Cincinnati as possibilities, but I see no circumstance in which Notre Dame joins the Big 12 in football. Cincinnati might work because its current conference is in the process of falling apart, and it would provide the Big 12 with a nice market in Ohio, which could have some recruiting benefits as well.

The Big 12 may not be done expanding

I agree dollarbill but I really think UCONN would rather head to the ACC, which would leave the conference at 14 schools and no need to expand westward...

Since: Sep 3, 2009

Posted on: October 31, 2011 1:46 am

The Big 12 may not be done expanding

As a WVU alum I hope this is true. Would love see Louisville join as well as Cincinnati giving the conference three schools in the Eastern Time Zone.

Since: Nov 13, 2006

Posted on: October 31, 2011 1:31 am

The Big 12 may not be done expanding

I have always have said that the Big 12 should be getting while the getting is good. Maybe Neinas has said he fine with 10 teams okay that one mans opinion. However, there are still good quality teams out there to get and if the Big 12 sits idle those teams may be gone. The Big 12 rebuilt itself nicely with the addition of WVU and TCU. TCU to replace Texas A&M and WVU to replace soon departing Missouri. So here are at 10. What I would do from herein out is I would go to the Big East and offer them to join part of a football alliance. The fife remaining Big East schools come to the Big 12 which gives the Big 12 15 schools then to make it a even 16 team membership I would invite BYU or Boise State. Maybe yet go on a limb and add San Diego State. San Diego State would give the Big 12 a western pressence while at the same time gaining a good presence on the East Cost. With the Big East joining the Big 12 the Big 12 can get some of the New York Market with UCONN and Rutgers and tak advantage of the Florida Market with South Florida. So in essence this would expand the Big 12 footprint from cost to cost giving them a greater pressence which will help with recruiting etc. The Big 12 has to do this to solidfy itself and the Big East needs this in order to save its basketball. Lets face it The Big East was never a football conference, it had its perks here and there but when Miami, VA Tech and BC left it was never the same. However, its basketball is still solid therfore, having it remaining member join the Big 12 for football only perserves the Big East for basketball while stregnthing the Big 12. Hopefully someone in the Big 12 & Big East get this and work this out between the two conferences because without it the Big East is DEAD. UCONN and Rutgers would want to join the ACC and Louisville and CINCY to the Big 12 leaving South Florida which would end up getting picked up by someone. So to avoid the invitable death of Big East Football why not just get it done and join the Big 12.

Since: Feb 8, 2011

Posted on: October 31, 2011 12:27 am

The Big 12 may not be done expanding

Louisville and then Cincy so the Big 12 can get back to 12. North Division is KSU, ISU, KU, Cincy, UL, WVU. South Division is OU, OSU, Texas, TCU, TTU, BU. Then the Big 12 should invite some of the Big East basketball schools who are upset with their conference leadership to come to the Big 12 to play Louisville, KU, and Texas.

Since: Dec 23, 2008

Posted on: October 30, 2011 11:49 pm

The Big 12 may not be done expanding

Cincinnati is the answer. While you are at it Big 12, grab S. Florida and Rutgers and get to 14. BYU is for the birds and is travel in the other direction. If you get to 14, split the divisions into TCU, W. Virginia, Louisville, Cincy, S. florida, rutgers and baylor in the "east" and the other 7 schools in the "west" the only team traveling more than they would have anyhow would be baylor and they would be ecstatic about not having to play UT, OU, and OSU every year. Under this format you could even adopt an every year rival aspect where each team would play 6 division opponents, 2 non-division opponents, and 1 every year foe(like what the Big 10) does. Then you still have 3 non con's for money and a conferance title game. Sounds like a big bucket of win to me...

Since: Jul 30, 2010

Posted on: October 30, 2011 11:48 pm

The Big 12 may not be done expanding

Boise State.... Small stadium, small established market, small athletic footprint, small history. There will not be another team, including the likes of Cincinnati, BYU, that would compare unfavorably. There are realistically tons of schools with packages much more enticing..... Even if its not all about money, they don't make sense!

Since: Dec 23, 2008

Posted on: October 30, 2011 11:47 pm

The Big 12 may not be done expanding

Cincinnati is the answer. While you are at it Big 12, grab S. Florida and Rutgers and get to 14. BYU is for the birds and is travel in the other direction. If you get to 14, split the divisions into TCU, W. Virginia, Louisville, Cincy, S. florida, rutgers and baylor in the "east" and the other 7 schools in the "west" the only team traveling more than they would have anyhow would be baylor and they would be ecstatic about not having to play UT, OU, and OSU every year. Under this format you could even adopt an every year rival aspect where each team would play 6 division opponents, 2 non-division opponents, and 1 every year foe(like what the Big 10) does. Then you still have 3 non con's for money and a conferance title game. Sounds like a big bucket of win to me...